Current Events Related to Myanmar

Introduction & Analysis

The following collection of open-source English-language news articles published during the past week covers significant events and issues related to Myanmar.

ASEAN

ASEAN Calls Again for End to Myanmar Violence As Conflicts Flare

Foreign ministers from the Southeast Asian bloc have spoken out following the fall of Myawaddy on the Thai border.

Conflict

KNU Blames Border Militia for Myanmar Junta’s Myawaddy Return

The Karen National Union says the Karen National Army allowed regime troops to return to the Thai border town of Myawaddy.

Myanmar Military Reoccupies Myawaddy Base as Karen Rebels Withdraw

The Karen National Union said that its forces were pulling back from the important border hub to avoid harm to the local population.

KNDF Surrounds Remaining Regime Troops in Mongpai

A Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) deputy battalion commander from Battalion 3 was killed during intense clashes in open terrain near the Mongpai (aka Mobye) Dam, where they are exposed to airstrikes in southern Shan State. A local source close to the resistance groups highlighted the absence of hills or jungle near the dam site, […]

The post KNDF Surrounds Remaining Regime Troops in Mongpai appeared first on Shan Herald Agency for News.

Myanmar Junta Suffering Heavy Losses in Large Counteroffensive to Retake Myawaddy: KNU

Karen forces report successful ambush attacks on military columns in the Dawna Mountains overlooking the country’s biggest border trade hub.

Ragtag Myanmar resistance sees tide turning in forgotten war

Ragtag Myanmar resistance sees tide turning in forgotten war Bangkok Post

Myanmar Junta Suffers Further Losses in Three Days of Resistance Attacks

The Irrawaddy’s latest roundup includes incidents in Karen and Shan states and Sagaing and Mandalay regions.

War Between Arakan Army And Myanmar Military Enters ‘Critical Phase’

Spokesman for the ethnic army says its political goal is to wipe the world’s ‘last fascist military’ off the map.

Injured sent to Thai border hospital following Myanmar clash

Since the rebel capture of Battalion 275, about 200 junta troops have been stranded at a customs compound near the border’s Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge No. 2, roughly 10 kilometers (six miles) north of Mae Sot. Gunfire between junta troops and rebel forces and airstrikes could be heard late into late Sunday morning, Thai soldiers and Mae Sot residents told Radio Free Asia.

Myanmar’s Rebels See Possibility of Victory

Rebel fighters have handed Myanmar’s army defeat after defeat, for the first time raising the possibility that the military junta could be at risk of collapse.

Resistance: Myanmar Junta Convoy Trapped in Mon State

A splinter group of the New Mon State Party says it has stopped a regime convoy in Kyaikmayaw Township.

Moving Towards Understanding and Reconciliation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State

Recent comments by the commander of the Arakan Army have prompted a heated debate about history, language, and ethnic identity.

Civilian Casualties Rising During Clashes in Southern Shan State

Airstrikes and artillery by the Military Council have resulted in the deaths and injuries of over hundred civilians since fighting broke out between the Pa’O National Liberation Army (PNLA) and the Junta troops in southern Shan State three months ago. Among the casualties reported by the Pa’O Youth Organization (PYO) are 7 children aged between […]

The post Civilian Casualties Rising During Clashes in Southern Shan State appeared first on Shan Herald Agency for News.

Mandalay PDF Attacks Pyin Oo Lwin, Captures Nawngkio Township Village

The Mandalay People’s Defence Force (PDF) captured a Junta camp in Nawngkio Township, northern Shan State, and killed over enemy soldiers, as well as seizing over 40 guns, according to the PDF’s own estimates. The army group reported ambushing two columns of soldiers dispatched to aid fellow soldiers while they were being attacked by the […]

The post Mandalay PDF Attacks Pyin Oo Lwin, Captures Nawngkio Township Village appeared first on Shan Herald Agency for News.

Why the War in Myanmar Matters

A devastating, yearslong civil war is heating up, but it still hasn’t attracted broad international notice.

Fighting rages at Myanmar’s border with Thailand as rebels target junta troops

Thousands of civilians flee as resistance fighters fight to flush out soldiers holed up at eastern bridge border crossing Fighting raged at Myanmar’s eastern border with Thailand on Saturday, both governments said, forcing 3,000 civilians to flee as rebels fought to flush out Myanmar junta troops holed up for days at a bridge border crossing. Resistance fighters and ethnic minority rebels seized the key trading town of Myawaddy on the Myanmar side of the frontier on 11 April, a blow to a well-equipped military struggling to govern and facing a test of battlefield credibility. Continue reading...

Conscription

In Myanmar, paying bribes to evade the draft

In Myanmar, paying bribes to evade the draft Radio Free Asia

Crime & Narcotics

US Think-Tank Sounds Alarm as Scam Centers Mushroom on Myanmar-Thai Border

Karen State has seen a surge in scam centers, run by Chinese gangs and backed by EAOs, since China cracked down on such hubs on its border with Shan State, USIP warned.

Young Laotians held at Myanmar casino fearful of fighting nearby

A group of 14 young Laotians who are being held at a Chinese-run casino in Myanmar said they are frightened by the recent fighting in nearby Myawaddy and are calling for new efforts to free them. “The only hope I have right now is that the higher-up authorities of all sides are stepping up their efforts because we the parents have been trying and failing to rescue our children for more than two years now,” a mother of one of the Laotians told RFA.

China Forces Myanmar Scam Syndicates to Move to Thai Border

China Forces Myanmar Scam Syndicates to Move to Thai Border United States Institute of Peace

24 ‘trafficked’ Filipinos rescued in Myanmar

24 ‘trafficked’ Filipinos rescued in Myanmar Inquirer.net

Economy

Border trade in Mae Sot hit hard by fighting in Myanmar's Myawaddy

Border trade in Mae Sot hit hard by fighting in Myanmar's Myawaddy Thai PBS World

A Tightening Noose Heightens Risks to Investors in Myanmar's Economy | FULCRUM

A Tightening Noose Heightens Risks to Investors in Myanmar's Economy | FULCRUM fulcrum.sg

Ethnic Issues

Unity for Peace: Challenges Facing Shan State’s Armed Groups

Sun Tzu, a Chinese military strategist and philosopher, once stated that “the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” Could this principle be applied to the strategy that the Shan armies are using? The two Shan armies – the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) and the Shan State […]

The post Unity for Peace: Challenges Facing Shan State’s Armed Groups appeared first on Shan Herald Agency for News.

Foreign Affairs

New Zealand Delays Visa for Myanmar Junta Member Due to Legal Challenges - VisaGuide.News

New Zealand Delays Visa for Myanmar Junta Member Due to Legal Challenges - VisaGuide.News VisaGuide.World

Thailand urges Myanmar’s junta to free Aung San Suu Kyi

The Thai Foreign Ministry urged Myanmar’s military junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi in a statement that also welcomed this week’s move of the former de facto leader to house arrest. The transfers were “a positive step in responding to the concerns of the international community,” Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara said in a statement on Wednesday.

General News

Myanmar’s Young Rebels Find the Bright Sides to an Internet Blackout

Even through the Myanmar army’s communications blackout, residents of a conflict zone find moments of grace, and occasional connectivity, away from the battlefield.

Myanmar’s figurehead vice-president steps down – he was a rare holdover from Suu Kyi’s civilian government

Myanmar’s figurehead vice-president steps down – he was a rare holdover from Suu Kyi’s civilian government South China Morning Post

Myanmar Christian Leader Rearrested Hours After Release in Amnesty

Sources said Dr. Hkalam Samson, his wife and a third person were taken from the Baptist minister’s home early Thursday. No reason has yet been given for his detention.

Healthcare

Temporary closure of Aung Yadana Private Hospital due to non-compliance

Aung Yadana Private Hospital in South Okkalapa Township will temporarily shutter for two months, from 1 May until the end […]

Military

The Bottom is Falling out for Myanmar's Junta

The Bottom is Falling out for Myanmar's Junta Council on Foreign Relations

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue

The junta’s No. 2 has not been seen in public since April 3, sparking rumors that he was either gravely injured in a resistance drone attack or purged by Min Aung Hlaing.

Politics

A Federal Union Is Unachievable Amid Militarization

The attempt to establish a new type of nation-state through militarized means has reached an impasse. As the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hlutaw (CRPH), and the National Unity Government (NUG) engage in contentious disputes, ethnic armed factions such as the Karen group, consisting of the Karen Nationality Liberation Army (KNLA), […]

The post A Federal Union Is Unachievable Amid Militarization appeared first on Shan Herald Agency for News.

United Nations

The UN envoy, the controversial aid plan, and Myanmar’s fast-changing war

The UN envoy, the controversial aid plan, and Myanmar’s fast-changing war sofia Wed, 04/24/2024 - 16:45